Hey guys, me again. Yeah, I know, it took me some time to upload again. School is becoming ever more busy, and I know that's not an excuse. I'll make it up to you, I promise. Hope all of you like this chapter :)
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters of Orange is the New Black. Wish I did though, man I'd know what to do ;)
A few hours later, Alex is ripped away from her peaceful slumber by an animalistic scream. Alex opens her eyes, momentarily forgetting her student was supposed to be in bed with her. She looks around the room after quickly putting on her glasses, and spots the blonde curled up in a corner of the room. Piper has her arms tightly wrapped her legs, and her head is on her knees. Alex can't see her face, but she knows that the blonde has tears streaming down her face.
"Pipes?" Alex softly says. Piper only whimpers and whines a little in response. Alex gets out of bed and slowly makes her way towards the blonde, hoping not to startle her. Alex crouches down to the blonde's level but doesn't touch her yet.
"Piper, it's me, Alex, it's okay … you're safe Pipes, I'm here, I'll protect you sweetie," Alex whispers. After a few minutes of Alex whispering sweet nothings, Piper lifts her head a little and locks eyes with the brunette.
"I'm sorry, Alex," Piper croaks out.
"Why would you be sorry Pipes? There's no need sweetie," Alex smiles.
"You shouldn't care about me Alex, I'm not worth it, you'll just get into trouble," Piper says quietly.
"Pipes, you don't need to worry about me. You ARE worth it Piper," Alex offers.
"Larry was right, I deserved what happened, I'm just a fuck up," Piper whispers, and Alex nearly doesn't hear it.
"Why would you say something like that Pipes? Larry was lying, no one, and especially not you, deserves anything even remotely like this. Piper, you're an amazing, beautiful girl! Any person would be lucky to know you," Alex smiles at the end of her reply.
"No Alex, he was right. Karma's a bitch, and I had it coming to bite me in the ass. I don't deserve love, or friendship, or anything remotely good in life Alex," Piper says. The blonde can't bear to look at the lovely eyes of her teacher anymore, and so she looks down again and the tears start falling.
"Shit, Larry has done much more damage than I initially thought," Alex thinks as she sees the blonde bow her head down. Alex falls silent, not knowing what to say to comfort her student. She has never dealt with a situation like this before, and she doesn't know what to do.
Alex stands up before looking down on her student, who lifts her head, and offers her a hand. Piper carefully grasps the brunette's soft hand, and allows her teacher to pull her up. As soon as Piper is pulled up to her feet, Alex quickly wraps her arms around the blonde's thin frame, and Piper starts crying again. Piper lays her head on the taller woman's shoulder and lets the tears stream down her face.
"Pipes, let's get you back to bed okay?" Alex softly says as she lifts her head from where it was laying on top of the blonde's. Piper only offers a slow nod in response. Alex reluctantly pulls away from the hug, but keeps one arm wrapped around the blonde's waist firmly. Piper allows the brunette to gently lead her back to the bed at the other end of the room.
"There you go," Alex smiles as she gently places her student on the bed. Piper doesn't say anything, just goes to lie down on her side of the bed. She curls up into a fetal position, with her back turned to Alex. Alex quietly gets under the covers with her student, making a mental note to be careful. Alex gently lays her hand on the blonde's arm, deciding not to spoon her this time.
Alex is about to fall asleep, but she still picks up the blonde's whisper: "Thank you Alex." Alex smiles a timid smile before answering:
"No problem Piper, I'll always be here for you."
Alex hears Piper sigh and then the blonde suddenly turns around in bed and faces her. The blonde looks up at her with tears still shining in her eyes, but a tiny, grateful smile adorning her lips. Alex smiles back at her student, and is a bit surprised when Piper suddenly cuddles closer to the brunette's chest.
Alex adjusts her position, allowing the blonde to curl up against her side. Piper places her head on the brunette's chest, listening to the calming sounds of the steady heartbeat. Alex wraps one arm around the blonde, rubbing soothing circles on her back with her hand, and gently takes the blonde's hand on her chest into her other hand, pulling it up to her lips. She kisses the blonde's hand before turning her arm and gently placing a kiss on the cuts on her student's wrist.
Piper nearly cries at the actions, the tears springing in her eyes. She doesn't say anything, just snuggles closer to the brunette's chest and sighs quietly. "Might as well enjoy it, for that one time this is going to happen," Piper thinks as she listens to her teacher's heartbeat. "I don't deserve this," is Piper's last thought before her breath evens out and she falls asleep.
Alex, secretly enjoying the feeling of the blonde's head on her chest, gently placed her hand on the blonde's arm after kissing her wrist. She smiles when Piper snuggles closer, almost crawling into her chest. She feels completely content with this feeling, but in the back of her mind, warning bells are ringing. "She needs me," Alex thinks to silence these voices. She feels the blonde falling asleep, and once she hears the light snoring coming from her student, she places a soft kiss on top of the blonde's head and staring up at the ceiling.
After half an hour, Alex realizes she hasn't eaten anything since this morning, and on cue, her stomach starts rumbling. Piper stirs, but doesn't wake up. Alex moves out of the blonde's hold very gently, not wanting her student to wake up. "She's gonna need her sleep if this goes on," Alex thinks as she makes her way to the bedroom door. Before opening it, Alex turns around to look at the blonde. Piper is snuggled up on Alex's pillow, looking completely at ease for once. Alex smiles at the sight before turning around and going to the kitchen.
Realizing she still doesn't have any food to prepare, she takes out her folder for Chinese take-out, and orders a little more than she usually does, in case the blonde wakes up and turns out to be hungry. As she puts her phone down on the kitchen counter, she hears soft footsteps running down the hall before a door is slam shut.
Piper wakes up, a wave of nausea running over her body, and she jumps out of the bed and runs down the hallway, glad Alex showed her the bathroom earlier. She slams the door shut, barely making her way to the toilet before she throws up whatever was still in her system. Heaving, she lifts her head a little before another wave comes over her again and stomach acids make their way out of Piper's mouth.
Piper barely feels the soothing hand that rubs circles on her back and her hair being pulled back. She feels like she threw up everything that she possibly could, and sits back, still dry heaving a little.
"You okay Piper?" she hears Alex ask.
"I don't know Alex, I really don't," Piper replies.
"Let's get you back to the bedroom, and I'll go grab you some things that'll make you feel better," Alex smiles as the blonde looks up at her. Alex stands up first, offering her hands to her student. Piper gladly takes them, smiling up at the brunette, and lets her pull her up. Alex puts her arm around the blonde's shoulders and gently leads her back to the bedroom.
She sits Piper down on the bed, and helps her get comfortable. The blonde has a tiny, grateful smile tugging on her lips as she looks up at her teacher. Alex kisses her student on the forehead before standing up.
"I'll be right back Pipes," Alex smiles down at the blonde before quickly making her way to the kitchen. She fills a glass with some water from the fridge, and takes it back to the bedroom. Piper is sitting up against the pillows, her head leaning against the headboard. She softly smiles at her teacher as she makes her way over. She gratefully takes the glass of water from her teacher. Alex goes to sit down next to the blonde.
She takes a small sip from the glass, and looks up at her teacher, smiling. The brunette smiles back, glad the blonde is getting hydrated.
"Feeling a little better, Pipes?" Alex asks softly.
"Yeah, a little, thanks Alex," Piper replies.
"No problem, kid," Alex says before they hear the doorbell ring. Piper is confused, and Alex is too, at first. But then she realizes she ordered Chinese, and it's probably arrived.
"That's probably the Chinese I ordered," Alex says as she stands up from the bed and makes her way to the front door. A few minutes later, she steps into the bedroom again, the Chinese take-out in a bag, two plates and cutlery and places them on the bed.
"What's this?" Piper asks.
"I ordered for two, I figured you might be hungry. When was the last time you ate something?" Alex explains.
"Uhm, last night? I wasn't really hungry this morning, and I slept through lunch so …" Piper trails off, embarrassed at her lack of eating. Her shoulder slump and her head bows, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Hey, hey, Pipes, look at me. There's nothing to be embarrassed about okay?" Alex says, gently lifting the blonde's chin up with two fingers. She smiles once she locks eyes with her student, and she can immediately see the sad look in those baby blues.
"Shhhh, Pipes, it's gonna be okay," Alex coos, gently putting her arms around the blonde and pulling her close. They end up in an awkward position, and Piper pulls back soon. That's when Piper's stomach starts rumbling, and Alex's soon follows.
Alex chuckles, "Guess our bodies are trying to tell us something."
"Yeah, probably," Piper smiles a little.
Alex opens the bag of Chinese, and divides the food between herself and her student. The brunette dives into her food, glad to finally stomach some Chinese again after not having eaten since this morning. She's halfway through her food when she realizes her student hasn't eaten anything yet.
"Pipes, you okay?" Alex asks, eyeing the blonde.
No response.
"Piper?"
Still nothing.
Alex looks at the blonde suspiciously. Piper has her head down, her shoulders slumped, and tears falling down. Alex quickly takes the food from the bed before sitting down next to her student. She pulls her into her arms, and for the first time, the blonde isn't struggling. She keeps her arms solidly locked around her student's frame and places a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Piper shifts a little until she is in a comfortable position. She lays one hand on the brunette's arm, the other one on the older woman's shoulder. Her head comes to rest on the brunette's other shoulder. She sighs out of relief, letting the feeling of safety wash over her again. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "God she smells good," Piper thinks as she nuzzles closer, softly rubbing her nose against the brunette's neck.
She feels the vibrations of Alex's chuckle running through her veins, and promises herself to try to get that lovely sound from the brunette whenever she has the chance. "I might not deserve it, but she sure as hell deserves someone that makes her smile, it won't be my honor forever, but I might as well take it while I still can," Piper thinks as a tiny smile plays on her lips.
Alex places another kiss on top of the blonde's head before resting her cheek on it. Alex also sighs, relieved that she prevented another nervous breakdown of her student. "I wish I could do more," Alex thinks as she pulls the blonde a little closer to her.
"I'm so sorry Alex," Piper chokes out at random.
"What are you sorry for Piper? There's nothing to be sorry for," Alex replies, the confusion clearly on her face.
"I don't deserve anyone taking care of me, I only hurt those who do. Soon I'll do something wrong, and you'll realize I'm really not worth it. I had someone care for me once before, and I did something wrong, and he …" Piper quickly shuts her mouth before she spills it all. She closes her eyes, and images from that fateful night come flashing through.
"Piper, hey, shhht, listen to me okay?" Alex asks as she gently lifts the blonde's head. Piper opens her tear-filled eyes and locks eyes with the brunette. The green eyes she came to love so quickly have nothing but love shining through them. "Shit, why didn't I just stay away, that way I couldn't ever hurt her. Now I will, once she finds out what happened with Tim," Piper thinks before her thoughts are interrupted by the soft voice of her teacher.
"Yes, I care about you, but no, I will not leave you to yourself. Pipes, you are so beautiful, both on the inside and the outside. I'm not gonna lie, it's going to be a tough recovery, but I'm here for you, always. I promise Pipes, you won't have to get through this alone," Alex says with a smile as she looks in the baby blues of her student.
Piper is at a loss of words. "What have I possibly done to deserve someone like her?" she thinks as she still has her eyes locked with the green ones of the older woman. She manages to smile, although it's a small one. Student and teacher, both lost in thought, keep on looking at each other, trying to figure out the other's intentions and emotions. Anyone who would walk in at that exact moment, would question the sanity of both girls.
A while later, Piper can't take that loving look in Alex's anymore, and looks away from the brunette before snuggling closer to her and putting her blonde head on the older woman's shoulder. Alex pulls Piper a little closer, and gently pushes her student's head in the crook of her neck. Both girls are surprised at how well Piper fits there. A comfortable silence falls over teacher and student as they continue to sit on the brunette's bed.
Their comfortable silence is broken as they hear Alex's phone ringing in the kitchen. Piper pulls away from her position and looks up at the older woman. Alex just smiles back at her.
"Al, shouldn't you go get that?" Piper asks, confused as to why she isn't going to get her phone.
"If it's really that important, they'll call back," Alex says as the ringing stops.
A minute later, Alex's phone starts ringing again. Alex sighs as Piper reluctantly pulls back from the embrace and tells her to go get it. Alex slowly stands up from the bed and makes her way to the door. Before opening it, she looks over her shoulder as the blonde is in the middle of lying down on the bed.
"I'll be fine here," Piper encourages her.
Alex turns on her heel, opens the bedroom door and closing it behind her before making her way to the kitchen. She picks up her phone and looks at the unknown number flashing on her screen. She reluctantly picks up: "Alex Vause," Alex says, tone very business-like.
"Miss Vause?" she hears from a chipper voice she faintly recognizes, but she can't put her finger on it.
"Yes, that's me. Who is this please?" Alex asks, wanting to know who interrupted her cuddle moment with the blonde.
"This is Carol Chapman. I understand my daughter is still staying in your house," Carol says.
"Yes she is, and she will stay here until you realize what you have done," Alex replies annoyed.
"I have done nothing wrong Miss Vause. You do not understand our upbringing. Piper is MY daughter, and I will not have her staying with a lesbian teacher. It was stupid of her to have that boy arrested. Finally, someone is interested in her, and she has him arrested. You tell me what isn't wrong about that?" Carol states.
"You do realize he raped her not once but TWICE right? I don't know what got into him, or you for that matter. Larry threatened her, telling her to keep quiet about it. If she told anyone, he would kill her. You tell me what isn't wrong with that, Mrs. Chapman," Alex snaps.
"Ms. Vause, that boy …" Carol begins, but Alex is quick to cut her off.
"No Mrs. Chapman, this isn't about Larry, you or me. This is about Piper. You're supposed to be taking care of her at this moment, not telling me what I should be doing. But you couldn't, just for one second, put your worries about your image away, and care for your daughter! I can't believe you said those things to her earlier. If I may be frankly honest with you, Carol, you don't deserve to be a mother, and definitely not Piper's mother. I can somewhat understand that image is important to you, but nothing should be more important to you than your children," Alex rants.
"They are important to me, but I cannot have them running around and acting like Piper is doing right now," Carol replies sternly.
"No it's time that you listen to me. Piper told me all about when you grounded HER for pointing out that your husband was seeing another woman. How could you? Not only have you given her trouble with trusting people, but she can't even rely on you when she was fucking RAPED! I hope that you will soon realize that Piper needs you to care about HER, even if it was just this once," Alex rambles.
"I met her three days ago, and I immediately knew that Piper was an amazing person. She has her heart on the right place, and a beautiful heart at that, she's just damaged. She keeps up this wall of friendliness up in front of everyone, including me. She has let it come down a few times now, but she should be able to let it go entirely around the people she is supposed to call her family," Alex finishes her rant.
"If I hear anything about you trying to lure in my daughter, I will have your life ruined," Carol says, completely ignoring Alex's rant.
"Oh, FOR FUCK'S SAKE! I can't do this. Contact me or Piper when you finally find an ounce of feeling inside that heart of ice of yours," Alex snaps before ending the call, not allowing Carol to say anything else.
As she puts her phone down on the kitchen counter again, she can feel her rapid and shallow breathing. Alex wills herself to calm down before making her way to the bedroom once again, hoping that the blonde hasn't heard the conversation with her mother. She opens the door to the bedroom, but is surprised when she doesn't see the blonde lying on her bed. "Where is she? I left her here," Alex thinks as she pushes her glass on top of her head before running that hand through her hair. She turns around in the room, racking her brain to think of where her student could be.
She makes her way into the hall again, and as she softly closes the bedroom door, she hears a muffled sob coming from further down the hallway. "Fuck, the bathroom," Alex thinks as she quickly makes her way down the hall, following the noise. Alex hears another muffled sob, a little louder now as she gets closer to the bathroom.
She gently pushes the door open, scanning the room for her student. But once she sees the blonde, sitting down with her legs and arms stretched in the shower, the first thing she sees is red.
I know, I'm a terrible person. But hey, it's the first real cliffhanger in this story. It might happen again, it might very well not happen ever again. Don't worry, our girls will make it, both of them will come out of this thing stronger. I just can't let her magically recover from this and what happened in the past. Life is never easy, and I'm not going to make any illusions about it. I'll post here again as soon as possible!
Xx Ellen